To buy or not to buy . . .

Hi,

I don't really know if I have SAD. I feel depressed, have trouble getting to sleep and waking up, crave sweet things - I've read that this can all point to the possibility of SAD. But I don't know if I've really noticed a pattern (i.e., every winter I feel bad) so unsure whether this is SAD or just depression.

Anyway, either way, I'm thinking about buying a light box - if nothing else, it might rule out SAD. I've looked into this a few times but I'm really confused about what to buy. Is the blue light much better than white light? And is the Zip model very different to, say, the Apollo Bluewave devices that seem to have all the science behind them. I'm keen to save on the cost of buying a light box if I can (so Zip might be better from that point of view than Apollo) but at the same time, I don't want to buy a cheaper model if it's not as good - I figure it's better to get a good model now than have to buy another one in the future.

I'm really new to this (and a bit sceptical I suppose if I'm honest) so any advice / insights / thoughts / suggestions would be very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

If you have questions about the different light boxes that lumie retail, then I'm sure they would be happy to answer. I've always found them very helpful.

Self diagnosis isn't always recommended as there are otehr things that your symptoms could indicate. As the OP says, talk to your GP. There is a 'quiz' somewhere here that I posted details of that might give you an indication of whether SAD is your problem or not, but it certainly should only be an indicator. Any type of depressive complaint should be investigated by your GP.

Thank you both for the information and for the link to the quiz: all very helpful.

I will take on board your advice about seeing a GP. I suppose I was trying to put that bit off but perhaps it's worth considering.

Thank you again for your replies. It's given me lots to think about.